The Week India – July 21, 2019

THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019 27

PLUS

Desperation Sets In.

A particularly hard fallout was his being
away from school. He had to forgo a year to
focus on his treatment. “I was depressed
because my friends were moving on to the
next class and I would be left behind. For
the first time, I felt sorry for myself.”

But the young teen did not have time to
think about all this once the treatment
started. The side effects started showing
two days after his first round of
chemotherapy. “I was nauseated, water
tasted like metal and I had no appetite. I
was throwing up almost everything I ate
and my WBC (white blood cell) count
dropped to 400.”

He was frequently in a bad mood and would
take his frustration out on his parents. To
make matters worse, his surgeon, told him
that post-surgery, he would never be able to
play cricket or practice karate. “Although I
was disappointed at the time, I did not
know that he would go on to become the
biggest hero of my life,” says Narendra. “He
said I could take up indoor sports or even
do some light dancing with my girlfriends. I
was very angry and sad. But the surgery
had to be done, and a stainless steel
implant was put into my leg.”

A 14-year-old Learns to

Walk.

He recalls celebrating his fifteenth
birthday from his hospital bed. “I was
given a walker and had to learn to walk all
over again. I underwent extensive
physiotherapy. I also had to start my
post-operative chemotherapy. All the side
effects came back and so did my

frustrations over everything. It was my

doctor’s support that got me through this

trying time. In addition to being an

excellent surgeon, he really bonds with his

young patients.”

A year passed, and with his treatment

complete, it was time for Narendra to

return to school. “I walked into a class

with completely new faces as I was now

studying with the junior batch because I

lost a year.”

The teachers had dinned into the students

to be nice to him. While most were

sensitive, there were some who teased

him and called him names like langda

(lame) because of his altered gait. “But I

stayed strong because I knew this was a

temporary phase. I continued to regain my

strength and by the time I reached college

the next year, I was taking the suburban

trains by myself.

Angels in Corner Offices.

“Most survivors find it very difficult to find

employment. My bosses said that they

were only interested in my abilities and not

in my medical history.”

In 2012, he joined Ugam, a support group

for childhood cancer survivors. This was a

turning point in his life as he considers

himself an introvert, “Talking to other

survivors really helped me open up about

my experience. I used to think that I was the

only one to endure this sort of suffering.

But today, I know that I am not alone and

that there are others like me. And now,

I want to take this message of strength and

survival forward.”